
Roundup: The Controversial Weedkiller Sprayed Throughout California Forests
From KQED's Forum by KQED
April 29, 2026 · 55 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the Supreme Court case regarding Roundup, its health impacts, and its use in California forests.
The Supreme Court this week heard a case about Roundup, a weedkiller widely used in agriculture — and that tens of thousands claim has caused their cancer. Now a new investigation from Mother Jones reveals that Roundup is used across California by the US Forest Service and Cal Fire. While Bayer, Roundup’s parent company, claims the chemical’s safety is backed up by extensive research, the investigation calls into question data behind these claims. We look at what’s known about the health impacts of Roundup, how it’s used for fire recovery and why it’s causing a rift in Trump world. Guests: Nate Halverson, senior reporter and producer, The Center for Investigative Reporting who reported on Roundup for Reveal and Mother Jones Patrick Thomas, reporter, The Wall Street Journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Guests: Nate Halverson, Patrick Thomas
Topics covered
- Roundup
- weedkiller
- health impacts
- fire recovery
- legal case
- investigation
Keywords
- Roundup
- weedkiller
- cancer
- California
- investigation
- Bayer
- US Forest Service
- Cal Fire
- fire recovery
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Center for Investigative Reporting, Mother Jones, Bayer, US Forest Service, Cal Fire
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